Charleston School of Law graduates 20 in winter ceremony

S.C. Court of Appeals Judge Aphrodite Konduros of Greenville today encouraged 20 new graduates of the Charleston School of Law to “maintain an eager mind” by reading constantly.

“Read everything,” she said.  “Read bestsellers, periodicals, listservs, Bar publications, your Continuing Legal Education materials — anything.  It will all come back to serve you well.  It may be the difference in sending away a great case or keeping a bad one because you never heard of the subject matter.”

She also advised the new lawyers to stay up-to-date on current cases, because delays in reading about fresh decisions could have consequences.  “It is a bad day when you are asked by a judge how a recent case affects your position and you have not read it,” she said.  “You will feel like one of those cartoon characters that turns to liquid and pools on the floor.”

During the Sunday ceremony, the school conferred juris doctor law degrees on 20 students who completed their studies since August.  Konduros also received an honorary doctorate degree.

“We are truly honored to have Judge Aphrodite Konduros as our December commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient,” Dean Andy Abrams said today.  “Following in the tradition of other great South Carolina leaders like her favorite South Carolinian, John Rutledge, she has a passion for justice and an unshakeable belief in the power of the rule of law.”

In her commencement address, Konduros reflected on the accomplishments of Rutledge, a past governor of South Carolina, chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.

“He brought to the Constitutional Convention the idea that our jurisprudence should not be founded solely on English law, but should contain American jurisprudence. What American jurisprudence, they asked?

“Being  well-read, he is said to have read lengthy tracts to the Constitutional Convention of the Law of the Six Nations, which was an Iroquois treaty begun as early as the late 1400s.  It contained the words, ‘we the people, to form a union, to establish peace, equity and order,’” Konduros said, highlighting similarities in the preamble of the U.S. Constitution.

“Now THAT’S admirable research,” she said.  “I expect that from each of you, and you should expect it of yourself.”

About the Charleston School of Law:  The Charleston School of Law offers students the unique opportunity to study the time-honored practice of law amid the beauty and grace of one of the South’s most historic cities.  Students at the Charleston School of Law study law as a profession and find a faculty focused on using the law as a calling in the public interest.  More:    http://www.CharlestonLaw.edu